To Judge or Not to Judge

By Carl Studna

That is the question! Is it possible that at the route of most physical, emotional and mental dis-ease and discomfort lay some form of judgment? When we hold onto any form of judgment toward ourselves or others, we create a constriction in our entire continence. Our bodies tighten, our thoughts become muddled with defense and our emotions bring forward dark clouds of resentment, anger, and depression. So why do we choose to take this path of doom and gloom so readily throughout our daily lives? Judgment is such a pervasive response, akin to a knee-jerk reaction. It’s something that most of us are taught beginning at a very early age.

Let’s say that you were a slow developer when learning to walk. It’s quite possible that your parents might have had expectations for you to excel earlier than you did and you might have interpreted that something wasn’t right or perfect about you. The way that our public school system is structured commonly awards those that learn faster and in some form or another, demotes those that fall behind.

We’ve unconsciously become a society that places judgment on others who don’t meet up with our expectations while we constantly learn as children that whenever we don’t “meet the grade,” we’re somehow inferior and have done something wrong. This response is so ingrained in our moment-to-moment thought patterns, so much so that it can be very difficult to track the more subtle judgments as they surface.

One effective tool that I’ve found for tracking lurking judgments centers around placing our attention on how we’re feeling from moment-to-moment.

Let’s say that you’re in the midst of your day and you’re aware that you’re feeling light, joy-filled and on-purpose. Ten minutes later, you’re aware that you now feel somewhat dense, heavy and shut down. Being the observer, you ask yourself, “What thought recently passed through my mind that brought on this shift in feeling?” It might have been an email from a client that had an expectation that you hadn’t been aware of. This could have easily triggered a judgment toward yourself or with this client. The unconscious inner-dialogue might sound like, “How could I have misunderstood them? That was so stupid on my part!” Or, it might have been directed at them, “What’s wrong with them? I know that I made myself crystal-clear. They’re just being blind!”

When we learn how to better track and catch our judgments, we then have the power to shine the light of truth onto them and allow them to diffuse and release. There’s a difference between casting judgment and being an objective observer. As we continue to learn that we have a choice, we see that we can still maintain our principles and ethics, standing for truth while not needing to judge.

Perhaps there’s a good reason that one of the Ten Commandments states: “Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.”

Perhaps judging and bearing false witness are one and the same? Maybe the commandment at the end of the sentence should include, “or thyself.” It would make sense that when we break this commandment (or ethical principle), we would naturally tighten, constrict and feel uneasy within ourselves.

We have the opportunity to be more mindful and bring love’s light essence into every thought, feeling and interaction. Just look at a young child while playing if you need to be reminded of what it looks and feels like to be judgment free. Try taking one hour out of your day to become finely attuned to catching these lurking tricksters and shed them with light. Watch them transform into pure goodness and see how long you can maintain a naturally bright, loving and peaceful state of being. You deserve to live in harmony, it is your birthright!

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About the Author

Carl Studna is a world-renowned photographer, inspirational speaker, teacher and award winning author. Carl’s intimate portraits of influential people ranging from Sir Paul McCartney to His Holiness the Dalai Lama, are published and known worldwide. Carl has taken his message and experiences to print in his book, CLICK! Choosing Love…One Frame at a Time. Studna’s innovative work, the LuminEssence Method©, teaches a new paradigm for radiating the light that resides within revealing each person’s authentic gifts. http://www.carlstudna.com/